Letter-indicating mechanism.



W. E. GRAY.

LETTER INDICATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 19l4. 1,172,132. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR W. E. GRAY.

LETTER INDICATING MECHAN|SM.

APPLICATION r1150 APR. 11, 1914.

1,172,132. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'W/TNE88E8 INVE/VTOR gzw. W' .4752" A TTOR/VEYS "ca rn era WILLIAM E. GRAY,

0F BOISE, IDAHO.

LETTER-INDICATING MECHANISM.

Original application filed September 13, 1913, Serial No. 789,650.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented an Improvement in Letter-Indicating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to copy holder attachments for typewriters,

cation No. 761,481, filed April 16 1913.

The structure forming my present invention may be readily understood from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 shows in plan a typewriter and in horizontal section a copy holder supporting a. line spacing means and my improved letter indicating mechanism which is carried in part by the line spacer and which is operated from the typewriter in a manner somewhat similar to the manner of operating the line spacer. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing part of the means for transmitting movements of the typewriter carriage to the letter indicating member. Fig. 3 is a detail partly in elevation and partly in section, of the connection between the flexible letter indicator actuating member and the carriage of the typewriter. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the copy holder part showing the line spac ing means and my improved indicating member movable thereon. Fig- 5 is a vertical detail section therethrough taken substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating certain parts of the indicating member in detached relation. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing in section the winding drum, and Fig. 8 is a cross section taken therethrough substantially on line 8-8 of 7.

Referring now to these drawings 1 have generally indicated in Fig. 1 a copy holder consisting of a base 19, a rod 20 extending Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 11. 916.

Divided and this application filed April Serial No. 831,326.

upwardly from the base, and'a copy holder plate 21 mounted upon the rod 20 in any convenlent manner. I have also shown in th1s figure a typewriter, the frame of which may be seen at 22, the platen roller at 23, tl1e carr1age at 24 and the keys at 25. The lnkmg ribbon appears at 26 and the ribbon casings at 27 and 28, the ribbon guide appearing at 29. The platen wheel is shown at 80 and is used for turning the platen roller. The line spacing scale is shown at 31 and the adjusting lever for controlling the spacing of the lines appears at 32. The typewriter I have shown is an Underwood and includes a spacing lever at 33 which is shifted to the right in Fig. 1 in a manner well known in the art for the purpose of turning the platen roller 23 step by step and thereby affecting the line spacing. This lever is provided with a thumb piece 34: at the front of the frame shown and is journaled upon a pivot pin 35, the latter being carried by the typewriter carriage 2 1.

In describing the construction and operation of my improved letter indicating mechanism, it is necessary to briefly touch upon and describe the construction of the line spacing means. It is believed to be suflicient to state that this line spacing mechanism, the specific construction and operation of which is described and claimed in my application first above referred to, includes a frame 69 which is movable in step by step relation and in a vertical direction along the left hand edge of the copy holder plate 21 under actuation of a flexible wire 51 the outer end of which is connected therewith and which passes through a flexible sheath 54 connecting the copy holder to the typewriter, the inner end of the wire 51 being connected to one end of an arm 41 adjustable upon an arc arm 36 suitably secured to the spacing lever 33 and movable therewith. It should be stated, however, that the upper and lower portions of the frame of the line spacer 69 have leaves 70 and 71 extending forwardly of the copy holder plate 21 and also a bearing member 80, the leaves 70 and 71 having slots 72 for apurpose to be hereinafter referred to.

In accordance with my present invention I mount a bracket 57 rigidly but detachably upon the carriage 2-1 of the typewriter and provide the same with a rearwardly extending tongue 58. Extending through a hole in this tongue is a threaded bolt 59 and fitted upon this threaded bolt is a revoluble nut 60, the fastening 61 having the form of a metallic ball secured upon the bolt 59 by a pin 61, as will be clearly understood from Fig. 3. This ball 61 is provided with an opening and a chain 62 is extended into this opening at one end and held therein, preferably by the use of solder. The chain 62 which is thus secured at the right hand side of the typewriter carriage, passes along the rear of the same in a direction parallel to the movement of the carriage and at the left hand side of the typewriter frame, extends away from the same around a pulley 63 journaled upon a bolt 64. This bolt is carried by a bracket 65 which is mounted upon the frame of the typewriter by means of a bolt 66. The bracket 65 is also provided with a sleeve 67 to which the inner end of a tubular sheath 68, similar to the before mentioned sheath 5& of the line spacing means, is secured by means of a screw 68 The chain 62 extends entirely through the sheath 68, the opposite end of which sheath is secured in the bearing 80 before mentioned of the frame of the line spacing means 69, by means of a screw 81. Thus the chain 62 is controllable by movements of the carriage 24 of the typewriter in such manner that as the carriage moves step by step to the left in operation, the chain is fed through the sheath 68 and from the outer end thereof under the tension of means which will be hereinafter described.

Referringnow more particularly to Fig. 4., the line spacing member on which my improved letter indicating member is movable, consists of'a plate 76 having an ex tending portion 77 projecting laterally across the front face of the copy holder plate 21, plate 76 being provided with strengthening ribs 7 9 crimped therein and being further provided at its top and bottom with integral leaves 79 disposed against the inner surfaces of the frame leaves 70 and 71 before mentioned and having apertures'through which a pivot or hinge pin 73 extends, the extremities of which pivot or hinge pin project through the slots 72 in the frame leaves 70 and 71 and being adapted to be adjustably held therein by the means of its milled head 74 and a milled nut 7 5 The laterally extending portion 77 of the plate 76 forming the line spacing member has inwardly curved longitudinally edge flanges forming a channel 7 8 in which my improved letter indicating member is movably mounted, and at its outer end, is secured a small spring casing 82 having an aperture 83 into which the end of the actuating chain 62 is extended so as to pass longitudinally along the extension 77. This end of the chain 62 is partially wound, as best shown in Fig. 7 around a drum 8% within the casing 82 and to which drum is secured the outer end of a spiral spring 85, the lnner end of whlch is secured to a shaft 86 carried by the extension 77 and on which the drum 84: is disposed. The spring 85 is normally under tension, and by its tendency to turn the drum 84:, maintains the chain 62 under tension at all times.

The letter indicating member itself consists of a plate 87 provided with a pointer 88, and having a lower .oflset edge 90 and upper offset fingers 89 respectively engaging beneath the upper and lower inturned edges of the extension 7 7 in order to slidably hold the plate within the channel 78, all as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The plate 87 is further provided with an intermediate opening 91 through which a threadedboit 92 is adapted to extend at one end, the opposite end of which bolt is provided with a head. The nut 95 engages the projecting end of the bolt 92 upon the outer surface of the plate 87 and between this nut and the said plate, a spring 94 is coiled around the shank of the bolt. The bolt 92 is also provided with a transverse opening 96 through which the chain 62 is extendechand by means of which the chain is normally clamped between the bolt head 93 and the inner surface of the plate 87 through the tension of spring 94.

Thus the sliding plate 87 constituting the letter indicating member is firmly positioned upon the chain 62 in order to partake of the longitudinal movement of the latter when the typewriter carriage 2a is moved in either direction. In this manner the indicating plate 87 may be readily adjusted upon the actuating chain 62 by pressing inwardly upon the outer end of the bolt 92 and against the tension of spring 94, in order to relieve the clamping action upon the chain before mentioned, and this adjustment together with the adjustment of the'tension of the actuating chain 62 by means of the nut 60 before mentioned permits the operator to readily vary any particulararrangement of these parts when so desired.

It is apparent that vduring the operation of the typewriter, and when the carriage 24c is permitted a step by step movementtoward the left, the letter indicating member is drawn to the right across the face of the copy holder so as to follow each letter and space of the copy as it is written upon the typewriting machine. When at the end of a line the carriage of the typewriter is returned to the right, the indicating member 87 is returned to the left side of the copy holder.

I claim:

1. In a copy holder attachment for typewriters, the combination of an arm, a slide movable relatively to the said arm, a flexible member connected with said slide for actuating the same, means controllable at the will of the operator for disengaging said slide from said flexible member in order to adjust said slide relatively to said flexible member, a typewriting machine provided with movable keys, and a mechanism co-acting with said keys and controllable thereby for actuating said flexible member.

2. In a copy holder attachment for typewriters, the combination of a supporting arm, a revoluble drum carried by said arm, a flexible member secured to said drum and wound thereon, means for turning said drum in order to maintain said flexible member under tension, a pointer movable with and adjustable on said flexible member, a typewriting machine provided with movable keys and means coacting with the keys of a typewriting machine for controlling said pointer by movements of said keys.

8. In a copy holder attachment for typewriters, the combination of a supporting arm, an indicating slide movable on the arm and provided with a pointer, a flexible actuating member extending along the said supporting arm and to which the slide is detachably connected, tensioning means mounted on the supporting arm and to which one end of the said flexible member is connected, a typewriting machine having a movable carriage and an adjustable connection between the opposite end of the flexible member and the carriage of the typewriter.

In a copy holder attachment of the character described, the combination with the movable carriage of a typewriter, of a bracket secured upon the rear portion of the carriage and having a rearwardly projecting apertured tongue, a bolt extending through the aperture of the tongue and provided with a threaded end upon one side of the tongue, a nut adjustable on the threaded end of the bolt, a flexible actuating member connected to the opposite end of the bolt, a supporting arm along which the said flexible member extends, an indicating slide movable on the supporting arm and having connection with the said flexible member intermediate the ends of the latter, and a tensioning device carried by the supporting arm and with which the other end of the flexible member is connected.

5. In a copy holder attachment of the character described, the combination with the movable carriage of a typewriter, of a sun oortin arm an indicatin slide havin a b 7 23 D guided movement along the arm, a flexible actuating member mounted along the supporting arm and extending through the said slide and attachable at one end to the carriage of the typewriter, a tensioning device for the opposite end of the flexible member, and means carried by the slide for adjustably engaging the flexible member.

6. In a copy holder attachment of the character described, the combination with the movable carriage of a typewriter, of a supporting arm, a slide having a guided movement along the arm, a flexible actuating member extending along the supporting arm and attachable at one end to the carriage of the typewriter, a tensioning device at the opposite end oi the flexible member, and a spring controlled clamping member carried by the slide for adjustably engaging the actuating member.

'7. In a copy holder attachment of the character described, the combination with the movable carriage of a typewriter, of a supportin arm, a slide having a guided movement on the arm and provided with an intermediate opening, a threaded bolt extending through the opening and having a head at one end, a nut adjustable on the threaded end of the said bolt, a spring extending between the nut and one surface of the slide whereby to draw the head of the bolt toward the opposite face of the slide, said bolt having a transverse opening adj acent its head, a flexible actuating member extending loosely through the bolt opening and adapted for attachment at one end to the carriage of the typewriter, and a tensioning device for the opposite end of the flexible member.

8. In a copy holder attachment of the character described, the combination with the movable carriage of a typewriter, of a supporting arm having inwardly bent longitudinal side edges forming a channel therebetween, an indicating slide having upper and lower oflfset portions for engagement beneath the said bent edges of the supporting arm whereby to position the slide for movement in the channel of the supporting arm, said slide also having an upwardly pr0- jecting indicating pointer and an intermediate aperture, a threaded bolt extending through the aperture and having a head adjacent the inner face of the slide and a transverse opening adjacent the head, a nut adjustable on the opposite threaded end of the bolt, a spring coiled around the bolt between the said nut and the outer face of the slide, a flexible actuating member extending through the bolt aperture and normally clamped be tween the bolt head and the inner face of the slide, and adapted for attachment at one end to the carriage of the typewriter, and a tensioning device for the relatively opposite end of the flexible actuating member, all for the purpose described.

WILLIAM E. GRAY.

"Witnesses Burns S. SIMMoNs, H. E. B-ADUNZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

